North Star News

Our Ross Rally Crew leaders met virtually on our eLearning day to plan for our Character Assembly (Ross Rally). This past Friday, our amazing Ross Rally Crew put on an outstanding Character assembly. The focus for Friday was "perseverance." A teacher team and a student team had to persevere through various obstacles and roadblocks to put two different puzzles together. It was a huge hit and the audience LOVED it. We also had the opportunity to celebrate our leaders who received a Shining Star and/or Super Star Award. Great job to all of our Ross leaders for doing an outstanding job! For pictures, I encourage you to check out our Facebook and Instagram pages.

**Please read this newsletter carefully as it is full of information.**

Jan. 20th: No School - MLK Jr. Day

Jan. 23rd: Progress Reports will go live

Jan. 24th: Ross PTO Family Bingo Night at 6:30pm

Jan. 24th: Chess will meet for those who signed up (see below)

Jan. 29th: Early Release @ 2pm.

Feb. 5th: State of the District @ 5:30

Feb. 13th: Early Release @ 2pm.

On the 13th of February, teachers will give our leaders the opportunity to exchange Friendship cards/notes of kindness. Per district policy, families are not able to provide food of any kind for other students. There are many options if you choose to provide more than a friendly card/note if you choose to do so. Some options are:

- You can check on Amazon

- Pencils

- Erasers

- Crayons

- Stickers

Again, sending in little trinkets is not necessary. However, if you choose to participate, please ensure that you provide a friendly card/note for ALL students who are in your child's classroom. If you have any additional questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to your child's teacher.

Join us for Parkway’s third annual State of the District event! You will have the opportunity to meet and hear from our next superintendent, Dr. Melissa Schneider. We’ll showcase student performances and dive into the progress we’re making on our Strategic Plan through engaging sessions with district leaders.

When: 5:30-7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, February 5

Where: Central High Commons

More information can be found on the Parkway website. We look forward to seeing you there!

Families - You do not want to miss out on this amazing opportunity to embrace your child's dreams. To learn more about Granting Dreams... CLICK HERE.

Dream Grants are awarded in amounts of up to $250 each and help students access personal learning opportunities outside of school. Some grants are non-monetary and connect students with professionals who offer amazing shadowing experiences in the workplace. The deadline for submitting grant applications is Friday, February 14, 2025.

Last year, the Parkway Alumni Association awarded approximately $8,500 in Dream Grants, along with many other valuable resources to Parkway K-12 students. These grants often provide students with opportunities they may not have had without the financial support and connections from the PAA.

We are excited to bring back Chess to Ross starting January 24th. It is going to look a little different than it has in the past. Please take note of the details below:

1) This is a non-sponsored Parkway event and administration is not guaranteed to be on site during this time.

2) After-school chess will take place on Friday from 4pm - 5 pm in the Library

3) Mr. Dale Lombard and Mr. Krus will be the facilitators

4) There are 32 slots available

5) It is for students in grades 3 - 5 only.

6) If interested, parents need to ensure that they can pick up their child(ren) at 5pm.

Please email Mr. Lombard if you are interested and specify the following...

• dalomba68@yahoo.com
• Student(s) name
• Grade level
• Level of Chess Knowledge
• Parent's First and Last Name AND working phone number
• Is there another family member that plays chess at home

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to Mr. Lombard. You are also welcome to reach out to me as well.